United Way of Greater Cincinnati Honors Volunteers
The United Way of Greater Cincinnati recently honored local volunteers whose caring, compassion and energy are making our community a better place for all of us.
Leadership Award Honorees
From left, (bottom) Dr. James Votruba, President, Northern Kentucky University; Alfonso Cornejo, President & a Founding Member, Hispanic Chamber, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber; (top) Donald Bush, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Victoria Buyniski Gluckman, Founder & Retired CEO, United Medical Resources, Inc.; Michael Grabel, Senior, Walnut Hills High School; Milton Schwartz, Retired, Director of Big Ticket Selling Services, Macy’s
Community Service Award Honorees
From left, (bottom) Jamie Cecil, Vice President, Sibcy Cline Insurance Services; Tonya Matthews, Vice President, Museums, Cincinnati Museum Center; (top) Mike Holmes, Senior, Starfire U; Cheryl Thomas, Engineering Section Head, P&G; Robert Shaffer, Executive Vice President & Director of Audit, Fifth Third Bank; Brenda Kloos, Partner, Frost Brown Todd, LLC
Below are the write-ups on each of the honorees:
Leadership Awards
The Geier Family Award for United Way Leadership
Victoria Buyniski Gluckman, Founder and Retired CEO of United Medical Resources, Inc.
Gluckman, a community volunteer, has served on numerous area nonprofit boards, including the Strive Partnership and United Way Success By 6. She helps ensure that early childhood is well-integrated in the cradle to career education continuum and has been a consistent voice in making the case for kindergarten readiness. Through her philanthropic and hands-on support, she has enhanced the quality of life for our community’s youngest children and, in turn, improving the quality of our future workforce.
Ruth W. and Robert I. Westheimer Award for Continuous Leadership
Milton S. Schwartz, Retired, Director of Big Ticket Selling Services, Macy’s
Schwartz, a community volunteer, has been a dedicated United Way volunteer for more than 30 years, serving in both Community Impact and Resource Development. He is currently on the Program Monitoring Committee, reviewing program investments, and has served on United Way committees that helped identify critical community needs to guide United Way strategies. He has also contributed for nearly 40 years to improving lives through the Isaac M. Wise Temple, United Jewish Cemeteries, Jewish Community Relations Council, and Jewish Federation, and as a founder of the Ronald McDonald House.
Neil H. McElroy Award for United Way Resource Development Leadership
Donald B. Bush, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Bush has chaired United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Tocqueville Society (for donors of $10,000 or more annually) for two years. During that time, 259 new members joined this nationally-recognized Society. His strategic thinking has led to the development of the Tocqueville Advisory Council, a group thinking long-term about scope and growth. Constantly challenging the status quo, he was the force behind two recent engagement efforts — Tocqueville Riders cycling event and Beyond the Check to help new and veteran members connect.
Joseph A. Hall Award for Promoting Diversity
Alfonso Cornejo, President and a Founding Member, Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA
Cornejo has been building collaboratives to promote diversity and inclusion during his 22 years in Cincinnati. This includes founding the group that organizes the Cincy-Cinco Festival celebrating Cinco de Mayo and which has generated more than $170,000 over the past seven years for support of area Hispanic causes. He also facilitated publication of Cincinnati: A City of Immigrants, a history curriculum distributed in local schools and churches, and adapted into a play produced by ArtsWave.
Impact Leadership Award
Dr. James C. Votruba, President, Northern Kentucky University
Dr. Votruba has shown a special dedication to United Way of Greater Cincinnati, indicated by his service as a member of its Board of Directors and through his leadership of United Way’s Research Council. As Research Council chair, Dr. Votruba has been responsible for three editions of United Way’s regional indicators report, The State of the Community. The report and its associated online data portal have become the “go-to” data resources for United Way as it makes its program investment decisions and for additional agencies, foundations and government offices.
Youth Leadership Award
Michael Grabel, Senior, Walnut Hills High School, Volunteer with United Way Youth Engaged in Service (YES)
Grabel makes it a point to serve diverse organizations to help students open their horizons to their communities and the social issues around them. As a Youth Ambassador for the national Tourette Syndrome Association, he joins youth from all over the country in educating peers and encouraging understanding, tolerance and the prevention of bullying. He demonstrates how youth with courage can turn challenges into opportunity.
Community Service Awards
Improving Our Community
Tonya Matthews, Vice president, Museums, Cincinnati Museum Center
For the last three years, Matthews has been an active member of United Way’s Youth Achieve Success in School & Life Impact Council, helping others achieve their potential. Aligning with United Way’s efforts to engage our community around Bold Goals, her efforts are helping children, youth and young adults succeed in school and life.
Developing Resources
Robert P. Shaffer, Executive Vice President and Director of Audit, Fifth Third Bank
Shaffer took an already successful employee campaign to a new level of success in 2011, both in new dollars raised and in the number of committed donors who gave generously because they were inspired by Bob’s leadership and example and believed in the important work of United Way.
Jamie Cecil, Vice President, Sibcy Cline Insurance Services
Cecil is a donor, a volunteer and an advocate for United Way. She been instrumental in raising nearly $100,000 in both 2010 and 2011 as chair of the Sibcy Cline United Way employee campaign. She is also a United Way Emerging Leader and participant in Volunteer 1000.
Strengthening our Region
Cheryl Thomas, Engineering Section Head, The Procter & Gamble Company
Thomas is a United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Women Investing in the Next Generation (WINGs) member and chair of its Advocacy Committee. Under her leadership, the Committee is growing and energized, having recently returned from a third visit to Washington, D.C., to advocate for early childhood issues.
Communicating Our Message
Mike Holmes, Senior, Starfire U
Holmes is a senior in Starfire U, a four-year program for teens and adults with disabilities. As a speaker for Starfire, he shares the United Way message. He has helped others understand what is it like to live with a disability and demonstrated how much he and others have to offer as we work together to improve our community. He completed an internship at United Way of Greater Cincinnati and is now employed full-time at GBBN Architects.
Improving Our Accountability and Effectiveness
Brenda M. Kloos, Partner, Frost Brown Todd, LLC
Kloos has been a member of the Accountability and Services Cabinet and Building Committee since 2003, chairing the committee over the last six years. Significant projects have included negotiating the sale of the Middletown and Eastern Area buildings and leading the five-year process that resulted in the total renovation of the Regional Center Building.
Dog Training – Teaching Your Dog ‘Drop’
NOTE: I have a new pet behavior blog located at http://www.SoMuchPETential.com/blog. Thanks!
‘Drop it’ is such an important behavior to teach your dog for so many reasons. Below are two strategies for teaching it by trainers who use positive reinforcement. Both approaches will get you to the end result of your dog dropping something.
Barbara Heidenrich
I know Barbara through the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE), have been fortunate to have taken several of her workshops, and have written several articles for her Good Bird Magazine in the past. Barbara is an internationally renowned trainer whose experience inludes consulting in zoos and other animal related facilities around the globe. She has been a part of the development and production of more than 15 different free flight education programs and has worked with 20 different animal facilities. You can learn more about her at her website.
Below is an excerpt from one of her past Good Bird Magazine issues:
Puppies are notorious for chewing up all sorts of contraband. Despite my best efforts to keep all items I did not want chewed up from the floor, I knew there would be moments when my favorite shoes might end up in my puppy’s mouth. I decided to teach a strong ‘drop’ behavior.
To do this, I armed myself with Waylon’s absolute favorite treats hidden in my fist. I offered Waylon an acceptable chew toy such as a stuffed animal. As he was chewing, I place my closed fist full of treats next to the toy, when he would stop chewing and smell my closed fist, I bridged (said the word ‘good’) and opened my fist so that he could get a treat. This was repeated several times, until the presentation of my fist would quickly cause him to drop what was in his mouth. I then added a verbal cue as well. I chose the oh, so clever, word ‘drop’.
My next step was to raise the bar a bit. I offered Waylon something he enjoys more than a stuffed toy, his squeaky ball. This was followed by even more enticing items, including a bone. Every time Waylon dropped the item he received a treat, or in some cases I simply offered back the item he had dropped, or another fun chewable item. When the day came when he found a shoe, I walked up to Waylon as I would under any circumstances. This meant no chasing, yelling or shrieks that my shoe was in his mouth. I calmly gave him the drop cue and the shoe left his mouth unscathed and hit the floor. I also did not have a treat in my hand, which was not a problem. My goal had always been that the treat would be phased out from being hidden in the hand. This time I gave him lots of praise and attention, which worked fine as a reinforcer. Now I regularly reinforce with all sorts of things…a treat, giving back the item he dropped, attention, another acceptable chew toy, etc. I so enjoy that he will drop even the smallest item when cued. And he does it eagerly knowing something else he enjoys is sure to follow.
Domesticated Manners
Below is a video by London, England based Domesticated Manners.
Note the video has a disclaimer: I would suggest that you do not use this with dogs who are “protective” over their food or other resources but work with a qualified behaviourist / trainer who may use a similar exercise if they see it to be beneficial and/or appropriate in your particular case.
Cincinnati Camp For Homeless Kids Needs Your Help
It is so difficult to imagine young children already knowing what it is like to be homeless, but sadly there are so many in our area. Faces without Places is a wonderful nonprofit organization that keeps such young victims of poverty connected to education. It offers them hope and laughter.
And this week, it will be offering them the experience of summer camp. Two buses will be transporting kid (ages 5 to 12) from shelters, motels and neighborhoods to an inviting place where they will work on their reading and math skills, learn about team work and character values, and leave a more enriched child with optimism for the new school year.
What a beautiful gift to give to an impressionable young mind!
Faces Without Places needs your help. In the past it has partnered with other organizations to offer this opportunity. This is the first summer for its very own Yellow Bus camp and it needs supplies. Below is a list. If you can help, please contact Beth Griffith-Niemann, MA, at 513-389-0805 or 513-389-3583.
• Deep Freeze
• Refrigerators
• Microwaves
• New swim suits for boys and girls (one pieces or modest tankinis) aged 5-12
• New flip flops for boys and girls aged 5-12
• New beach towels
• individually wrapped snacks
• juice boxes
• Cheerios cereal
• copy paper
• construction paper
• crayons
• markers
• pencils
• electric pencil sharpeners
• staplers & staples
• Epson 125 ink (black, cyan, magenta, & yellow)
• packing tape
• extension cords
• surge protectors
• New or gently used outdoor recreation equipment (basket balls, soccer balls, jump ropes, hula hoops, etc.)
• New or gently used board games
• Sunscreen
• Box fans
• Tissues
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Paper plates
• Disposable cups
• Plastic silverware
• Large bottles of hand sanitizer
• New or gently used books for students aged 5-12
• Gift cards to Target and Wal-Mart to purchase clothing and swim suits
• Gift certificates to Kroger or Sam’s Club to purchase perishable goods
Cincinnati Teens Raised Money For Tanzanian Students
With support from the Mayerson Foundation High School Service-Learning Program, students from nine area Cincinnati high schools helped raise awareness about a child’s walk to school in Tanzania by walking through our downtown.
Teens from Aiken High School, Arlington Heights Academy, Finneytown High School, Gamble Montessori, Lockland High School, McAuley High School, Mt. Healthy High School, Ursuline Academy, and Wyoming High School/Wyoming Youth Services researched the needs in Tanzania through Village Life Outreach Project – a Cincinnati-based non-profit organization that partners with Tanzanian villages to design and implement sustainable projects to fight poverty, provide access to clean water and health care, and improve educational outcomes.
In rural Tanzania, East Africa, students walk nearly six miles to school, which can take up to three hours one way.
It was in 2010, when Wyoming and Finneytown High School students and staff supported the children in Tanzania by creating the “Walk in My Shoes” Challenge – a 5.5 mile walk in Cincinnati from Salway Park to Fountain Square. It was an effort that quickly spread.
Proceeds from the Walk help fund the Village Life Outreach Project Ugi Nutrition Program in Tanzanian schools. Ugi is a nutritious meal that feeds 1,200 Tanzanian students who walk to school per day and would otherwise go malnourished. The total cost to feed all 1,200 primary school children per year equals a daily cost of $0.04 per child.
Dogs Have A Way
